Fragile
by Skylark Evanson
Summary: Conner sucked in a sharp breath as he realized how fragile she really was. She was human.


**A/N: Concept of this pairing came from the "Misplaced" scene where Conner catches Zatanna. Simple and easy but gives me shipping grounds. I'm not gonna avidly ship, but it gives me a base, which is all I need.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own.**

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><p><em>Fragile<em>

She'd fallen asleep on his shoulder after the long mission and the stressful day. And at some point, she'd gotten closer, snuggled up tight against him. Conner couldn't fathom why; she and Robin…

It didn't take long for her to curl up on his lap as her eyes remained shut tight with the force of slumber. The clone was just watching the television's static when he looked down to see her angelic face smiling up at him, still wrapped in dreams. He knew they were alone in the big room because M'gann was tending to Artemis's wounds while the others had all gone back to their respective homes to get some rest. So he brushed a few strands of her ebony hair away from her face and watched as her smile broadened a bit.

He ran the pad of his thumb across her soft cheek, feeling how smooth her porcelain skin was; the girl was a china doll, beautiful and fragile at the same time. Conner sucked in a sharp breath as he realized how fragile she really was.

She was _human_.

Magic didn't change that fact. Stronger than most mortals, the girl was the perfect model of the human side of heroics. Zatanna was small, slight, and more powerful than most could ever comprehend, yet she was the same as everyone else. She was no alien, no meta, nothing better than a human.

Conner ran his thumb over her cheek again. He could crush her skull with one move. She would die in her sleep if he were to put too much pressure on her at any point. The clone was painfully aware of how delicate she was. He could break her arm without a second thought or snap her neck on accident.

His liquid sapphire eyes looked her over, analyzing the curves of her hips and how her legs twined together. Conner saw a little china doll in his lap, a fragile girl, a human being.

She was less than Artemis, less than Robin. They'd been trained, hardened, strengthened. Zatanna was a petite little thing living a mostly normal life. She wasn't on the team, she didn't need to fight as often. Zatanna was human. Painfully human. Conner knew that.

Impulse taking the reins, he leaned down for a heartbeat and pressed his lips to her forehead adoringly. Someone so fragile who could fight as well as the rest of them. She was agile, powerful, and brave as could be.

She stirred, something he wasn't expecting. Part of him longed to escape before she fully came to consciousness, but Zatanna was far enough on his lap that getting up meant she'd be thrown on the floor. So he stayed and kept his eyes on the television, acting like nothing had happened.

Her pure cobalt eyes opened to see him over her; it took a few moments to realize her position across his legs and to realize that she was probably in his personal space. The girl sat up and immediately put a bit of distance between them, polite distance rather than anything else. "Sorry," she said quickly, sleep long forgotten. "I guess I was just tired and couldn't stop myself from falling asleep." A sheepish smile was splayed out on her face, dimples splashing her cheeks. "I didn't mean to bother you, Conner, really."

"It's fine." The terse tone in his voice gave nothing away.

The girl watched him for a few moments longer. Upon seeing that he really wasn't disturbed at all, she moved to grab her backpack from where it lay beside the couch. "I'll just head out then. My dad's probably wondering where I am." Her mind reeled at the thought of how late it could be. A groan came from her lips as she checked her phone to see the time. "It's past curfew. He's going to kill me."

After a snap decision, he was standing up and saying, "I'll come with you. He'll understand if I vouch for you." Whether Zatara would understand willingly or by force was the only question that lingered in Conner's mind.

Gratitude glowed from her bright blue eyes. "Conner, you're a lifesaver."

He moved past her without another word, feet taking him towards the zeta tube so they could head back to her house and convince her father not to ground her for life again.

"And Conner?"

He turned, cerulean eyes falling on her slight form as she held her backpack over one shoulder, a shy look on her pretty features.

"You're like a really big teddy bear."

He was her teddy bear. She was his china doll.

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><p><strong>AN: Review?**

**~Sky**


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